Awakening
by Gryffic
Summary: What if you discovered that you weren't yourself, that you were a character from a game and that you will slowly cease to be... human? That you will lose your personality and appearance, that...
1. Prologue

**Awakening**

By Gryphic

Note: For this story, only Pokemon may use nicknames for other Pokemon. Any other creatures of other species use the general species name for the particular Pokemon.

I don't own Super Smash Brothers, and this is the first time I'm trying out a chaptered story. If any of the characters become Mary Sues, please kick me in the guts (i.e tell me in a review so that I'll rewrite the part).

* * *

Prologue - _Meeting_

It was night.

The moon shone high above a small clearing, illuminating the tall rock in the center.

In the bushes, a yellow cat-sized creature was running. It had pointed black-tip ears, brown stripes and a jagged tail.

It was called a Pikachu.

The little Pokemon hoped that it wasn't late to the meeting. In the forest, it had passed parked airships and stars and it knew that it certainly wasn't the first.

Pikachu burst into the clearing and sighed with relief. The only other Smashers there were a small pink puffball with hands and feet, a tall penguin wearing a robe, a blue puffball with a cape and a silvery mask and a tall bidpedal dog-like Pokemon.

"_Greetings, Lightning,_" the other Pokemon, Lucario, said telepathically, using a nickname for the Pikachu.

"**Hey there, Anubis,**" Lightning said in Pokemon speak. "**Hello Kirby, King Dedede and Meta Knight. I'm glad I'm not late.**"

"_You're not late._" Anubis was sitting on top of the rock in a meditative pose.

Lightning hesitated. "**Should you… be treating the Memorial like that? Disgracing it by sitting on it?**"

"Poyo, rocks are meant to be sat on! Just because it stops the curse doesn't mean we can't sit on it! Poyo!" chirped Kirby, the pink puffball.

"**Whatever floats your boat,**" sighed Lightning. "**Wait, I thought you were coming with Red?**"

"I sucked Red! Poyo!"

Anubis laughed. "_Little Kirby here did suck Red up and is refusing to let him go. If you look closely, Kirby is wearing Red's hat._"

Lightning sweatdropped. "**I, ahem, see. Kirby, spit him out, will you?**"

"Poyo! No!"

The blue puffball, Meta Knight, turned to Kirby. "Kirby?" he said in a dangerous tone.

"Poyo…" With a sigh, the pink one opened his mouth and spat out a boy. He was ten years old and was wearing red. Three red and white balls were situated on his belt.

"Oh, thanks for that! I really needed to be in your mouth for a bit," the Pokemon Trainer said sarcastically.

"You're welcome! Poy-" Kirby was interrupted by more rustling in the bush. A boy wearing a green tunic and wielding a sword came out, followed by a smaller boy that looked like the first, if not for his shorter stature and cat-like eyes.

"Link and Toon Link," Meta Knight said. "Welcome."

Link nodded and sheathed his sword.

A few minutes later, all the Smashers had gathered in the clearing. Anubis looked around and stood up, still on the rock.

"_At last, we can start the meeting. As you hopefully know, it was I who gathered us all today,_" Anubis began. "_I wanted to talk to you all today because of some rather startling developments in the last month._"

"_First of all, Samus has told me that she has found evidence that the curse and Master Hand are linked. Not only linked, but-_" The rest of the speech was drowned in chatter. Master Hand and the curse of the Smasher, linked? Inconceivable! Master Hand was the deity of Creativity while the curse was most likely of destruction. It was more likely that the rumoured (i.e. possibly made up) brother of Master Hand, Crazy Hand, created the curse.

"_Shush, be quiet!_" The chatter stopped. "_Secondly, most of us have been seeing strange shadow-like beings, correct? They look like thin humans with bird-like heads and impossibly large claws, and they're transparent grey._" The crowd murmured in agreement. "_They have attacked Red and me._" The crowd gasped.

The Pokemon Trainer stood up. "I was in Sinnoh, involved in a brawl with Lucario. I was relatively clear headed, as the curse doesn't affect me to the extent as all of you. So, I was ordering Squirtle to attack when I myself was attacked by a shadowbeast."

Anubis nodded. "_Apparently, the shadowbeasts feed on energy, the stuff that is behind your elemental attacks. They made Red faint and the smash stopped. Then, they absorbed some of my aura._"

"This… is bad. I have been noticing more of them. If the Memorial wasn't here, I believe there would be… so many." This came from the shocked Meta Knight.

A small person in a blue parka, Popo, raised his hand. "Lucario, um, does the, er, energy regenerate?"

Anubis shrugged. "_It is unknown. Anyway, apparently my friend Eugene has seen a giant white hand command these beings, but he's a barrister._"

There was silence, then an embarrassed cough. "I've seen it too…" said Bowser.

Everyone stared.

"I'm not crazy! It was last week! And no, I was _not_ in a bar! I was walking around Castletown, looking for trouble when I went into an alleyway and saw a giant floating hand, which disappeared!" Bowser protested. "Get Lucas or Ness to read my mind if you need proof!"

"_Okay, we believe you,_" Anubis said simply. Everyone turned to stare at him. "_Why would he lie in this situation? We're all in the same boat here. And this brings me to the next thing of interest._"

"_I have been to Canalave Library in Sinnoh and have read a precious manuscript. It has in detail how to, in essence, open a portal to another world._" Silence struck again. "_But the manuscript was only one page of many._"

"_I went to various libraries and museums around the realm – Pewter City Museum in Kanto, the royal library of Hyrule, the museum in Dreamland… And I managed to pierce together the pages of the Book of the Memorial. Yes, my friends and fellow Smashers, the Memorial is the key to that other world. And the strange thing is, the Otherworlders believe they have created this world._"

A stunned silence filled the clearing. Anubis smiled ruefully and continued.

"_I think that the legend of the Hands who created us all and this world that thinks they parented our world are, to say the least, linked. I have memorized the way to create a portal and I hope to create an expedition to this Otherworld._"

The silence continued and was only broken when the usually silent Link spoke. "If we choose to go to the Otherworld, what will happen to us?"

"_The book doesn't detail what happens if one from our world goes to their world, only that it has been done before and the travelers survived. And al-_" Anubis was interrupted by a strange buzzing noise.

There was a shriek. A blonde woman in a pink dress, Princess Peach, pointed in horror at the sky. "Look! Look!" Everyone looked and saw the sky covered in a strange grey.

"_The shadowbeasts!_" The Lucario stood up and jumped off the rock. "_The Memorial is the only thing keeping those… creatures from coming in here and sucking our energies. Because there are so many of us, they are strongly attracted to here. We need to open a portal and send some of us through, so that some will leave and the numbers will be more manageable._"

"**How do we open the portal then?**" asked Lightning.

"_Lucas, Ness and Princess Zelda, come here! The rest of you, stand back and prepare your strongest elemental attacks!_" The mentioned three walked over to the stone and listened as Anubis privately told them how to open a portal.

Lightning watched as the four closed their eyes. It jumped back as the Memorial started to glow with an eerie purple light.

"_Unleash those attacks _now_!_" Electricity, water, fireballs and even some very surprised Pikmin were launched at the glowing stone. The Memorial flashed a startling pink, and then, on its surface, a daylit forest could be seen. "_Those who want to go, go._"

The Pikachu made its decision quickly. It ran forward and noticed only a few Smashers from the corner of its eye – the Ice Climbers, Link, Meta Knight, wait there was more but-

Then Lightning touched the pillar and lost all consciousness.

* * *

What do you think? I know the last part is cheesy.


	2. Life and Times

Chapter One - Life and Times

Note: This chapter will be very jumpy. These are snippets from when the reincarnated Smashers are born to the beginning of the actual plot, so expect more character development and less plot here.

I, hopefully, do not own SSBB. If I did... Beware!

* * *

- _nine months after the crossing_

In a hospital in England, Mrs. Martin stared in shock at her newborn son. He looked in every way like a normal baby, except for the two white wings from his back.

"Doctor, you have to come see this," the nurse said, also in shock. "Doctor?"

The doctor had fainted. The nurse sighed and called for a more adept doctor.

* * *

- _four years after the crossing_

"Mrs. Cousins, can you explain this?" They were in the hospital, looking at a young boy in a hospital bed. His arm was frozen solid.

"You think my kids have anything to do with that?" The two aforementioned twins looked sheepishly at the teacher.

"We didn't do anything," they chorused.

The teacher sighed. Nana and Popo (their names were actually Hermione and Paul Cousins, but they _insisted_ on being called Nana and Popo) were sweet kids, but they seemed to be involved in a lot of accidents. Strangely enough, all the incidents had the other kids complaining of cold.

* * *

- _six years after the crossing_

"Tzzz –tzzz –tzzzz – tzzz! Starfox is ready for take off!" Jordan was standing at the top of the playground 'spaceship', pretending to steer.

His friend James was also making noises. "WHEEEEEEEEEEE – yo! WHEEEEEEE – yo! Moving in on the Tank!"

Alicia sighed. _Boys…_ She was sitting on a bench directly underneath the 'ship', daydreaming.

"Wheeeeee – yo! Pttt – ttt – ttt –ttt!" Yes, it was a nice dream, about a song, but those two annoying boys were being so… annoying!

"Shut up!" said Alicia.

James jumped down and 'hand-gunned' Alicia. "You shut up! We're flying a spaceship here!" Jordan jumped down too.

The little girl glared at the boys. "I'm going somewhere else, then!" She promptly stalked off, leaving the two boys staring after her.

"She's got spunk!" announced Jordan.

"Do you know what that means?"

"No. But it's cool."

* * *

- _eight years after the crossing_

Conrad sulked.

He sat on a false rock in the playground and stared at the other kids. They all had made friends, why couldn't he?

Perhaps they could sense that there was something wrong with him. Even his parents didn't know about the strange feeling in his shoulder blades.

"Hey!"

The boy turned to see a small group of kids walk over to them. The shouter was a tall kid who seemed to be the leader. He had blond hair.

The other two boys hung back a bit. One had mousy brown hair that seemed to be a bit golden.

"Hi! Wanna play with us? My name's Lloyd, he's Ken and he's Oliver. What's your name?"

Conrad blinked. "C-conrad?"

"Come on!" The enthusiastic Lloyd grabbed Conrad's arm and dragged him to the slide. "Welcome to our group!"

Despite being annoyed by the hyper Lloyd, Conrad smiled.

* * *

- _eleven years after the crossing_

The boy was focused on the school computer. His fingers danced across the keyboard as he learned how to program from a small book.

A girl walked over to him. "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

Kai, the boy, frowned. "None of your business."

The girl didn't say anything. She just pulled up a chair and sat beside Kai.

_If I ignore her, she'll just go away. If I ignore her, she'll... ugh!_ The boy turned to the girl. "What _is_ your problem?" he asked.

"My name's Leila. Your name's Kai." _Thanks for stating the obvious!_ thought Kai.

Leila looked at the screen. "Oh, so you like cute things? So do I!" She had obviously seen the Kirby wallpaper.

"Um…" She didn't laugh at him, at least, not yet. "What's your favorite… thing?"

"Triangles," Leila said.

Um. Well, maybe she _was_ nice, and maybe she'd make a nice friend… A little ditzy, though.

"Want to… look for triangles?" _Lame, Kai. Just lame._

But the girl didn't seem to mind. And that was okay.

* * *

- _fourteen years after the crossing_

Two kids stared in awe in their bedrooms.

Carrie and her older brother Aaron were entranced by their hands. No, it was not something _in_ the palms. It was the hands themselves.

Aaron's mitts were covered with a strange blue fire that danced. Carrie's had small jolts of electricity.

Strangely enough, neither seemed hurt.

"Carrie, Aaron, your friends Lucas and Mark are here!" their mother called. Giggling madly, Aaron focused and the fire retreated. But Carrie…

"Aarrie, it won't go away!" the ten year old whined. The yellow jolts were still dancing madly and no matter how hard Carrie focused, it wouldn't go away. "A-a-rie!"

The thirteen year old thought quickly. "Stay here, I'll get Lucas and Mark. I wanna show them this." He ran and in a few minutes, had brought back his two friends.

"What do you want to show us?" That was Mark, the ever polite one.

Carrie grinned and took out her hand.

"That's nothing. Look at what I can do!" said Lucas. He held out his hand. "PK Thunder!" Instantly, electricity jumped out of his hands.

"Woah. Who taught you that?" asked Aaron. He was a bit jealous of the brown-haired boy.

"I dreamt it!" grinned Lucas.

"Psh, look!" Aaron put out his hand and brought back the blue fire.

"… If I had a sword…" Mark uttered. However, this murmur was unheard by all but Carrie, and the girl thought that was a bit strange.

"Why a sword?"

Mark turned red. "Nothing." _Why did I say that?_

Carrie giggled, and for the rest of the playdate, the kids played with their powers.

* * *

I dare you to guess which person is which Smasher! Obviously, not all the Smashers made it through. Hint: One of the names mentioned is NOT a Smasher and one appears twice, but only stars in one.


	3. A Normal Summer's Day

Chapter Two – _a normal summer's day_

I do not own SSBB. I wish I did. But then I couldn't play it.

* * *

"Remember, Ken, _do not reveal your wings!_"

"Okay Mum, I promise! We do this every year! I won't fly in public or take public showers either!"

"It's for your own good. If someone saw you, you might be… I just don't want to lose you."

The tall lanky teenager smiled and rustled his large white wings. "I'm not that stupid to prance around with my wings spread open. In public."

His mother sighed. "Okay Ken, but remember. Please, remember."

Ken pulled on a jumper over his wings and ran out the door. "Gotta go, Lloyd and Conrad are waiting!"

Waiting on a bike, Lloyd cheered as Ken pulled up beside him. "Heya! We're just going to the supermarket."

"Where's Oliver and why are we going to the _supermarket_ of all places?" asked Ken.

Conrad rolled his eyes. "Oliver's sick, and we're doing a surprise party for Lloyd's brother Jonathon. And yes, it's at the freaking supermarket." He adjusted his backpack and frowned as the feeling of phantom wings returned. _Why me?_

"Hundred dollars for your thoughts?" asked Lloyd. "You know, like you're being so quiet."

Conrad laughed. "I wish. I'm broke."

Ken said nothing. He crouched low and took off, the other two yelling in indignation as Ken left the others behind.

* * *

Two teenagers walked through the mall, holding hands and ignoring the idiotic people who stared at them.

"Why won't they stop staring?" hissed Popo quietly.

"Why do we hold hands?" Nana shot back, not meaning it.

"Why _do_ we hold hands?" Popo asked, actually curious.

"Why do we insist on holding hands?"

"Oh. Good point. Still, we _are_ siblings."

Nana glared at somebody she recognized from school. "Who knew that the day we walk around the mall is the day that a hundred people who recognize us are here?"

"Who knew we'd walk around the mall _at all?_"

Quietly arguing, they rounded a corner, then Nana suddenly collapsed.

"Nana! Nana!" Popo knelt down and stared at her eyes. They weren't the usual brown, they were…

* * *

… _the colour of ice and snow, the touch of the glacial wind, the flurry of remembrance…_

* * *

Lloyd panted as he walked behind Ken. "Why did you leave meee?" he whined.

Ken smirked and whirled around to face Lloyd. "You clearly don't practice enough." _After all, flying around in the dark of night was exhausting but exhilarating, and it would obviously build muscles._

Conrad stared. They were in the mall, and… "Hey, look, someone's down!"

"What?" Ken looked, flabbergasted. He recognized the two – Nana and Popo, two kids in his class. They never seemed to have any friends, but they always hung out together. He'd always assumed they were boyfriend/girlfriend.

"My sister! She needs help!" Popo called out. _Oh, sister. Oh. Twins._

Ken ran forward and knelt down beside Popo. He checked for heartbeat, check. Pulse, check (wasn't that the same thing?). Breathing… "Hey, this is cold!"

"Cold? Hypothermia?" Okay, Popo was now marked as a worrier.

"No… Hey, she's waking up!" Nana shot up and stared.

"W-w-what just happened?"

Popo sighed in relief. "You fell to the ground, Nana. You need a rest. Thanks Ken!"

Ken blinked as Popo escorted Nana to the nearest bench. He shrugged and ran into the supermarket, his friends once again yelling in frustration.

* * *

"Popo, when I fell, something happened."

Popo looked at Nana. "The only thing that happened was that you fell over and your eyes turned blue. Okay, that was weird but-" He stopped as Nana put her hand on his head. "Sis? What are yo-" _His_ eyes went a whirly blue, and he slumped back.

Nana frowned. What had happened to her was that she had somehow remembered _a past life_. The memory was of standing on top of a mountain and seeing a giant hand descend – then it went _through_ her and Popo, who was standing beside her.

Popo sat back up, his eyes now the same brilliant blue as Nana's. "Woah… That was cool. And weird. What happened?"

"I think… something's going to happen." The siblings stared ahead, wondering what in the world was going to happen.

* * *

I need help for this story! If anyone could give me links to information about the Starfox and Fire Emblem crew's personalities, I would most appreciate it. Thanks in advance!


	4. Wild Things live in Supermarkets

Chapter Three – _wild things live in supermarkets_

I do not own Brawl. I do not have a Wii... yet. And thanks! Unfortunately, Wikipedia has less info on those charries than fanfiction, but I'll try my best to keep them all in character.

* * *

"When is Jon Jon coming?" The three boys were loitering around the supermarket aisle. Ken was checking out the candy, Conrad the chocolate, and Lloyd?

Lloyd was complaining his head off.

"He was supposed to be here _ages_ ago!"

Conrad sighed. "Um, it has only been ten minutes."

"Yeah, give Jon Jon a break," Ken agreed.

Lloyd glared at them, then resumed complaining. "What's taking him so long?"

The two other teenagers gave each other a look and continued looking at sweets.

* * *

"Oh. My. Freaking. God." This very articulate sentence was uttered by Nana as she stared at the supermarket.

Beside her, Popo was silently gaping.

In the supermarket was a horde of strange humanoid creatures with bird shaped heads and gigantic claws. They had glowing red eyes and were transparent grey, but the strangest thing was that they looked 2 dimensional.

And the fact that no one could see them. A pregnant woman even walked _though_ a creature.

"Uh oh…" Nana gulped. "They don't look that friendly…"

As soon as she spoke, _all_ the things turned to the siblings and glared. They made strange noises (like the mix of a car engine, a cough and a growl).

"Nana?" asked Popo. "Should we…"

"RUN!"

They ran, the shadowy things on their trail.

* * *

_Introducing Jordan Wilson, the greatest sax in the world…_

"Wow, you can rock the world!" yelled James.

The two boys were sitting on the bed, Jordan with his saxophone and James watching.

"No I can't. What do you think this is, a rock concert?" Jordan joked.

_His music's the best!_

"Space concert?" Typical. James would never give up his dream of becoming an astronaut.

"Jam concert?" Both boys laughed.

Just then, a mobile phone rang.

"Your girlfriend?" asked Jordan. James blushed furiously and dug around his bag for that dratted mobile.

* * *

Nana dashed ahead, Popo barely keeping up.

"**When** do you exercise without me –puff– knowing?" Popo asked.

"No taaaaalk!" The kids blew past lots of workers and, strangely enough, ran into the supermarket.

"Great decision, Nana!" Popo said sarcastically.

"Thanks!" Suddenly, the things turned away and ran into a supermarket aisle.

"Good, we lost them! Nana? Nana?" Popo asked. Suddenly, Nana ran after the things. "Naaaana, wait up!"

They went into the aisle and saw three familiar kids – Lloyd, Conrad and Ken. The three teenagers seemed unperturbed by the horde of things around them, but Lloyd kept on shaking his head.

The things were clustered around those three kids.

"We aren't tasty enough?" muttered Popo. Nana furiously shushed him, then walked up to Lloyd.

"Hi, um, Lloyd?" she asked. Lloyd stared at them strangely.

"… Are you part of the hallucination?" he asked sarcastically – or maybe it wasn't.

"You can see them?" Nana gestured around them. Now all three boys were looking at Nana strangely. Popo coughed and-

_Every freaking thing was staring at them. Why hadn't they noticed before?_

"Um, Nan-" Before he got the chance to finish his speech, Nana grabbed both him and Lloyd.

"Hey, woman, I'm not a plaaa-" Nana ran.

Conrad and Ken looked at the three running.

"Should we call the police that Lloyd has been kidnapped by crazy classmates?" asked Ken.

Conrad shook his head. "Probably just a prank that Lloyd set up. We'll hear from him later."

"Kay."

* * *

"Get off me, crazy girl!" yelled Lloyd.

The three rounded around an aisle and went through a door –_was that marked "Private"?_- that led into an alleyway.

"Look behind you and tell us you can't see them too!" Nana yelled back.

"I can't see anything –GAHDEADEND!" The three stared at the giant rubbish bin that blocked their way.

"We fight," Nana stated.

"_Fight_ what?"

"With _what_?" Popo and Lloyd asked at the same time.

"Them! And, Popo, remember the memory?" Popo groaned.

"For your information, that may have been a crack dream! And if it was real, I doubt we have ice- WOAH!" Nana opened up her hands and _ice_ shot out of them.

"We have them!" Both Lloyd and Popo were gaping.

"I can do that?" Popo asked shakily, but in front of them was a ton of those shadow things.

"I can… see them!" Lloyd yelled, drawing the shadow thing's attention to him.

"You idiot! Popo, fight!" Nana was shooting ice at the shadows.

Popo hesitated and then curled his hand. Ice began to form into a…

"_Mallet_? Why didn't I think of that?" Popo charged forward and whacked the weapon into a thing. It hissed, then it curled up and disappeared.

"Boy, these are weak!" After a while… "THERE'S MORE OF THEM!" Indeed, there were more shadows then there were before. Popo gulped and turned to Nana, who now had an ice mallet.

"I have an idea! Get your butt over here and clang mallets!" The boy ran over to Nana.

"And you think that'll work?" asked Popo. He raised his weapon up anyway and it collided with Nana's.

Shivers of ice flew off. LOTS of ice. They hit the things and they died. Those that weren't hit shrieked and flew off.

The two kids stared at the retreating shadows. "We hit them hard." They turned to Lloyd, who was cowering in the corner.

"Lloyd? Lloyd?" Nana asked. She was concerned, as _even after a life and death situation_, the popular boy would be chatting and talking.

"Fine," Lloyd muttered. He walked past the two without a word. Popo stared after him.

"Sis, you think Lloyd's always got those pointy ears?" the boy asked quietly. His sister elbowed him.

"Let's go." They followed the other boy into the supermarket.

Behind them, something appeared on the rubbish bin. It was as tall as a man, but one could not see it clearly.

"_The Ice Climbers have shifted on their own, but I gave the other boy a helping hand,_" the thing said telepathically.

A walkie-talkie said silently, "Good job, M. Keep it up and when they are all ready, we can…"

"_Find our way home._" The creature stood in silence for a while, before teleporting away.

* * *

:)


	5. Follies and Follicles

Chapter Four –_follies and follicles_

I don't own SSBB. Wow, this is a shorter chapter and I upload it just as I finish the longest chapter (Six). :D

* * *

Lloyd walked over to Conrad and Ken, who were still over in the sweet aisle.

"Dude, where did you go?" asked Conrad.

"… Away." Ken stared at Lloyd in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

Lloyd hesitated. He felt different. He didn't want to talk much and his friends were getting a bit annoying. "I'm going home." He walked away.

Conrad and Ken, once again, stared after Lloyd. "What about Jon Jon?" Ken called.

Lloyd just kept on walking. "Just… I feel sick and I think… Jonathan isn't coming…"

"What's with him?" Ken asked Conrad. The other boy shrugged.

"I don't know."

* * *

James had been talking to his girlfriend for a while. His friend was getting bored and had a plan to cut short the conversation. He got ready to blow on his saxophone.

_A one, a two, a one two three!_

"HOLY KABOODLES! Sorry Alice, but a certain friend of mine has just killed my eardrums. Will get back to you soon!" James hung up and glared at Jordan. "What was that for?"

The other boy didn't say anything. He yawned and stretched. As he did so, his jacket sleeve fell down, revealing…

"Um, Jordan? Have you been playing with blue feathers? Look…" James shakily pointed at Jordan's hand. Jordan looked and shrieked, for four blue feathers were _embedded_ in his skin.

* * *

Conrad and Ken had just ordered a Happy Meal at McDonald's. They sat down, wondering about Lloyd.

"What's up with Lloyd? Even if he's sick, he never stops talking!" Conrad frowned.

"I know… And- wait, is that Jon Jon?" Ken pointed at a kid that looked like Lloyd, albeit smaller and with a brown mullet. The kid glanced in their direction and ran over.

"Hey, guys, have you seen, um, Lloyd?" Conrad frowned again.

"No. He went back to his house," Ken stated flatly.

Jon Jon groaned. "Dang it! I left the freaking house just to come here for a surprise, then I have to go home again! Thanks guys, see you." He ran out in a flash.

Conrad blinked. "Well… What should we do?"

"… I don't think Lloyd wants or needs us. Let's go to Oliver's house."

And so they did.

* * *

"Yeow! Don't!" Jordan screamed as James tried to pull a feather out.

"Well, what should we do about it? It's probably some side effect of puberty. I mean, it's not like you're going to turn into a humanoid blue chicken alien."

Jordan frowned. "I don't think this is a side effect of puberty. Maybe what you said was true. Maybe I _am _turning into a humanoid blue chicken."

"Well, I was joking. Ooh, maybe it's a sickness! Lets see if I've caugh – Holy moly, I'm furry!" James had pulled up his sleeve as a joke, but it was true. He _was_ furry. Or rather, his arm was covered in golden fur.

"Um… Let's not tell our parents." Now Jordan was getting worried. He knew that this wasn't supposed to happen to normal people, and Jordan _was_ the paranoid type.

"Agreed, Falco."

"What did you just call me?"

"What did I just say?"

And unknown to both boys, a shape was hovering outside the window, waiting.

* * *

A few hours had uneventfully passed. In those few hours, Conrad and Ken had gone to the sick Oliver's house, played video games and went back to their houses, where they had played even _more_ video games until the sun came down.

Ken was relaxing on his bed, his wings folded, pretending to sleep. He was going to go on his nightly 'trip' in the forest, but first he had to make sure his mum was asleep.

The lights in the corridor suddenly flickered out and Ken jumped in surprise. He got up and opened the door.

"Mum?" he called out.

"Blackout! I don't know what caused it, but I heard some scrabbling noises… Damn mice." Ken got back into his bed and lay there in the dark. Darn it! Now he'd have to wait for another thirty minutes!

_Scrabble, scribble, scribble…_ Wait, a scrabbling noise. It kept on going on and on and-

"Ahhhh!" Something had landed on him and Ken shrieked.

"What happened?" his mum shouted.

Ken thought fast. "Uh, um, nothing! I was just screaming for the heck of it!"

"Well, okay. Goodness, you nearly gave me a fright!" The teenager sighed and sat up. The thing sitting on his stomach slowly crawled onto his chest.

"Pichu pichu pi?" it asked quietly.

"What?" Ken whispered.

"Pichu pi! Pichu pi!" There was a rustling sound, then something that felt like paper was pressed onto his cheek. "Pichu pi!" The thing then crawled off his bed and ran off. A crackling sound was suddenly heard, and the lights in the corridor switched back on.

Ken rubbed his cheek and felt the paper. He switched on his bedroom light and looked at it.

"Pit, do not go flying around the woods at night or we will… we will gravely injure you," Ken read aloud. "What's going on and how do they know about my wings? And why did they call me Pit?"

He felt a chill run down his spine. Indeed, only his family and the doctors knew about his wings, and only he knew that they could actually lift him up.

So, what was going on?

* * *

Okay, if you're reading this, I'd really appreciate a review. You don't have to, though. :D


	6. School is Amazing

Chapter Five – _School is Amazing!  
_

I don't own SSBB! Also, a warning: I may not update this story for a week as I'm going on vacation! Whoo! So don't expect anything new unless I get an internet connection.

* * *

The next morning, Jordan woke up. He went to the bathroom, and-

"What on earth?"

His eyes were surrounded by red rings, and there were blue feathers on his cheek. He looked like an Indian!

"Oh, man." Looking around the drawer, the teenager found the cough masks that covered a person's mouth and cheek. He put one on and groaned. _This is freaky. What will they say when I get to school?_

* * *

Loitering just outside the school was two boys – Lucas and Mark. They were hanging out in the courtyard and waiting for the bell to ring.

"Monday, Monday, Monday! Why is it Monday?" asked Lucas, complaining.

Mark shrugged. "I dunno. I just wish it was Thursday." Mark loved his fencing practice which always took place on a Thursday afternoon.

Lucas yawned and jumped back. "Eek, it's the witch!" he mock-screamed. Heading towards the two was a girl.

Alicia glared at the two boys. "Having fun, are we?" she said icily.

"Um, no, your highness," Lucas shot at the teenage singer. Alicia huffed and turned away.

"_Boys._" Mark sighed.

"Not all boys are as stupid as Lucas here!" he called out. Alicia didn't even turn.

The blond smirked. "Markie has a crush on Alicia, right?" Lucas mocked.

"Shut up."

Then the bell rang.

* * *

Nana sat down at her desk and hit her head. Nothing much had happened yesterday apart from learning some, ahem, _interesting_ things. Oh, and being chased by a couple of shadowy monsters.

Speaking of monsters…

"Hey pretty, want to go on a date?" Jacob Brownie, the local idiot and bully, was sitting _next_ to her.

"Hands off my sister, or I will personally kill you," Popo, who was sitting on the other side of Nana, threatened.

"I'm not afraid of the guy with a stupid name, Poopoo. Oh, did I say it wrong?" Jacob mocked.

Popo growled and then, suddenly...

"Ahhhhhhh! Cold!" Jacob held up his hand. Ice had suddenly appeared on his arm, spiraling down from the wrist to the elbow.

Then the teacher appeared. She came over to the table and frowned. "What has happened?"

"Popo did this to me! It's cold!" Nana elbowed Popo, who then closed his eyes.

Immediately, the ice melted and the teacher scowled. "Jacob, have you been playing with water? Go and wipe off." She turned to Nana and the scowl turned back into a frown. "Hermione, Paul, are you wearing contacts? Why are your eyes blue, not brown?"

_Oh crap!_ "Um…" Popo blinked. This was bad. "No! No! We aren't!"

The teacher glared at them. "Take those contacts out. Now."

"Actually, these aren't contacts. Our eyes have been blue all this time, haven't you noticed?" Nana was sure this lie wasn't going to work.

The teacher shook her head. "I must be imagining things. Never mind." She then walked away.

Popo stared at Nana. _She believed you?_ he mouthed.

_I know,_ Nana mouthed back.

_Strange._

And unknown to the twins, a being was hovering in the middle of the classroom, invisible. It nodded, then it teleported.

* * *

"Jordan, are you sick?"

"Jordan, why are you wearing a mask?"

"Jordan, why?"

Jordan gritted his teeth as he did his schoolwork. Today was not a good day. Everyone was calling out to him and they were so... _noisy_!

* * *

After two, three, FOUR hours of school, it was lunchtime.

"Freedom! For forty minutes!" exclaimed Lucas.

"It's not the greatest thing ever. We do this every day," said Mark.

Lucas nodded empathetically. "Yeah, but come on, it's lunchtime!"

Mark rolled his eyes and ate his lunch. After a while…

_I fight for my friends!_

Where had **that** come from? Mark suddenly felt a stabbing pain in the back of his neck, which suddenly faded.

"Um, Mark? Did you dye your hair blue?" asked Lucas.

"What? My hair is blue?" Mark touched his hair and pulled out a strand. He looked at it, and lo and behold, it was blue.

"Yeah, and it's spikier. It looks cool, though." The stabbing pain came back, along with a wave of sickness. Mark excused himself and walked to the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror, and his eyes were sky blue, and then he fell to the floor.

* * *

"Mewtwo, are you insane? Why did you fully shift the boy?" yelled the walkie talkie.

The floating anthromorphic cat scoffed. "_Roy told me to shift him._"

"Now is not the time to be thinking of revenge! The kid may be damaged by your foolishness! When you catch that idiot, teleport him _and yourself_ to the house! And don't pass Go!"

The Psychic Pokemon sighed. Dr. Mario was such a pain and a nut at times, but he _was_ the leader of the stranded ex-Smashers.

He picked himself up and teleported to the other school, where Mark- wait, no, _Ike _was lying unconscious in a bathroom.

* * *

:) If you can, please review!


	7. Transforming Tricks

Chapter Six – _transforming tricks_

Greetings from -insert holiday location-! I has internet service, so you know what that means. Another chapter! I do not own SSBB and I want to.

* * *

"What's taking him so long?" Lucas asked himself.

No reply.

It had been at least ten minutes since Mark had gone into the bathroom, and Lucas was getting more than a little worried.

Scratch that, Lucas was really worried. He got up and walked to the boy's bathroom.

In there, like always, was a group of teens (including the bravest of girls), mucking around and doing bad things.

"Have you seen Mark?" Lucas asked.

"No. F you, Luke, get out of our bathroom!" the meanest teenager called out. Lucas quickly obeyed.

But where could Mark be? Hey, didn't he like privacy?

The blond headed towards the Art building, where hardly anyone used the toilets. He opened the door.

Facedown on the floor was a teenager with spiky _blue_ hair. He was wearing a red cloak that covered most of his body and a grey bandanna.

Lucas walked over to the teen and knelt down. He shook the boy's shoulder and said, "Hello? Wake up?" The teen groaned and stirred.

"Ow… Where did that headache come from? Who's talking to me?" muttered the boy.

Lucas poked the boy's back. "Who do you think?" He grabbed the teen's arm and helped him up.

"I don't feel too good…" The boy stood up – and puked into the sink. Lucas turned away. This was obviously not Mark. Mark was shorter and…

_Didn't he dye his hair blue just now?_ Lucas shook his head. Mark had probably seen this kid somewhere and copied his hair for a joke. He sighed and turned to the other teen.

The teenager was wiping his mouth. He looked up and stumbled backwards, trembling and reeling in shock when he saw his reflection.

* * *

"Hi Jordie!"

Oh great. Alicia was here.

"Hi Al," Jordan said glumly. He was one of the only people Alicia was _really_ nice to, but today he didn't want her happiness.

The girl smiled. "Have you been practicing for the talent competition on Thursday?"

"Of course! I've been practicing that song!" The talent competition was a big thing as it involved the two schools, Sir Kirby's Academy and St. Kilda's School. It would be fiercely competitive, with the two schools trying to outdo each other.

"Well, I've been singing my voice hoarse all weekend, but it doesn't sound the same without your sax. When can we schedule another practice?" Alicia asked.

"Tonight sounds good."

"Okay! See you then!" And off she was.

Jordan just stood there, surprised. She hadn't said a single thing about his face mask, but ever since Alicia had heard his instrument and asked him if they could do the talent competition together, she had been a really great friend.

And besides, she always made him blush. But that was her effect on all the boys.

* * *

Ike was really confused.

Wait, was Ike really his name? Wasn't he called Mark?

And didn't he look different just a few minutes before?

"Are you okay?" asked the blond kid behind him. No, his name was Lucas and he was his best friend…

"No, I am not okay. A few minutes ago, I didn't look like this!" Ike turned to Lucas.

"Do you need to go to the secretary?" asked Lucas. "Are you… sick?"

_No, I just need to find out what just happened!_ He knew some things, though. Lucas didn't recognize him and he had been unconscious.

"Lucas, I'm Mark." But that wasn't true, was it? Ike certainly didn't feel like a 'Mark' now.

"Goodie, another Mark," Lucas said sarcastically. _Okay, back to square one._

"I mean that I was your friend. Ask me any question that only your friend Mark knows the answer to." Lucas hesitated.

"Um, okay. Um, what do I collect?"

Ike smirked. "Beanie Babies. And I recall that your favorite Beanie was a purple bear called… Princess." The look on Lucas' face was priceless.

"Th-that is… Did you torture Mark for information and bump him off?" Lucas asked warily.

"Do I look like the kind of person who kills people?"

"Actually, yes."

Ike was about to protest when there was a telepathic cough. "_I must admit, this scene has been very amusing. However, I have need of Ike and Lucas now._"

_What's happening? _But there was no more time to think because the speaker had teleported them away from the bathroom.

* * *

"Ungh…"

The two teens had been teleported into an old house, where they had been dumped on the floor.

Ike rubbed his elbow, then he stood up. Sitting on a couch was another boy who was wearing the same kind of clothes Ike was wearing, but his hair was a fiery red.

"Greetings, Commander Ike," the boy said icily. He snapped his fingers, and Lucas was picked up and flung across the room. He crashed into a pot plant and lay on the ground, moaning.

Ike tried to run after Lucas, but he was held in place by a pink thing around his legs.

Beside the boy, a creature was floating. It was humanoid, with three-fingered hands and feet and a long tail. It also had pink fire surrounding its hands.

"_Make this quick, Roy. Doctor Mario has ordered me to bring you back._" The creature said telepathically.

"I don't care about that old man. No, I want revenge on my replacement." Roy walked over to Ike and drew a sword. He slashed at Ike's head, but the boy ducked. "What are you waiting for? Draw your sword!"

The blue haired boy stood up and touched his side tenderly. He felt metal and took out the golden gleaming sword, then slashed back at Roy.

They began fighting. It was vicious, with Roy intending to kill Ike. They broke quite a few things and got a little _too_ close to the immobilized Lucas a few times.

"Gah! Don't kill me! Please, I like my head!"

But unnoticed by the fighters, the cat had floated over to Lucas and was surrounding the boy with a blue light.

After a while, Roy had cornered Ike and had his sword against the other teen's throat.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Ike.

Roy snarled. "Because I was forced through the portal before you _by_ the likes of you."

Before Ike could reply, Roy disappeared.

"_I'm getting bored of this. Doctor Mario will be fuming._" And with that, the cat disappeared.

Lucas groaned and found he could move. He got up and achingly walked over to Ike. "Ow… This hurts… Let's go." Then, Lucas collapsed rather painfully _onto_ Ike. "Owie…"

* * *

"You are in serious trouble, Roy and Mewtwo!"

"_Doctor, Ike is in no danger. Neither is Lucas, and I _did_ check on the Ice Climbers. Surprisingly enough, the shadowbeasts don't seem to be attracted to the shifted. They were before..._"

"Yes, but it was risky! I know you're the only one of us who has the most effect on the Suggestion, but if you over abuse it you may even kill them! And we need them!"

"So, you will keep us from going out?"

"Yes, Roy! You idiot! Revenge on Ike is not the way!"

"… _And must I tell you what I did as well?_"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"_I boosted the Psi kid's psychic energy to a point where he can read minds – but he can't control it, so he may go mad._"

"THAT'S IT, MEWTWO, ROY, YOU'RE BOTH GROUNDED!"

"… Damn."

"_Very._"

* * *

:D If you can, review!


	8. Who am I

Chapter Seven – _who am i?_

If I have disgraced Ike by making him OOC and his flashback bad, forgive me! I don't have a GameCube and I never will!

I do not own SSBB.

* * *

Lucas was walking slowly on the sidewalk, supporting and supporting (at the same time) his friend, Mark/Ike.

They were both very bruised and tired.

"So, Mark, why did the guy call you Ike?" asked Lucas. The other boy stopped.

"Lucas… Don't call me Mark anymore, okay? Call me Ike." That was blunt, but perhaps that was the best way.

"Why?"

"It's… complicated." Ike really did not want to explain. He was still pretty confused and the sick feeling was still there.

But Lucas was not known for accepting things quietly. "I'm still not sure if you're who you say. You don't look like Mark."

"I know! I don't know what happened!" Ike was getting very worried now. Panic was rising up in him and it was not a good mix with the sickness. "Can we go somewhere now?"

"Um, let's go to my house! Quick!"

They ran, Ike stumbling and Lucas also panicking.

A few minutes later, Lucas opened the door to his house and he led Ike up the stairs and into the bedroom, where the teenager fell onto the bed, gasping for air.

"Thank… you!" Then, Ike fainted.

* * *

_Fighting, blood, death, glory, walking through the woods aided by humans and animals. Bearoc and laguz? Memories are a fickle thing, but this is real beyond reality, truer beyond truth. Stranger than fiction._

* * *

The blue haired teenager suddenly sat back up. "Soren? Mist?" he asked.

"Who? I'm Lucas." Lucas sat down on the bed and observed Ike. He seemed really disorientated now.

"I… remember. I remember!"

The blond frowned. "Mar – oops, Ike, what on Earth are you talking about?"

"I remember journeying through Tellius and being a Smasher…" Ike drifted away, lost in his own thoughts.

"Um, hello to Mar – Ike? Wake up!" When the other teenager showed no sign of returning to reality, Lucas picked up a Beanie Baby and threw it at Ike.

Ike yelped in surprise, stood up, turned to Lucas and drew his sword.

"Chill out, man, it was just a Beanie Baby!" When Ike advanced a bit more, Lucas fell off the bed, picked up the nearest thing and chucked it at the teenager.

The plush Holy Hand Grenade hit Ike and bounced off, but Ike reeled back. He blinked a few times before sitting back down and rubbing his head.

"Lucas?" Ike asked in confusion.

"Yes, my name is Lucas, thanks for asking," Lucas responded automatically. He was still a bit shocked. "Why did you try to chop me up like sushi?"

Ike didn't respond at first. Then he slowly said, "I forgot I was… here and I thought you were an… enemy."

"Do I look like an enemy?" Lucas demanded. "Bully? The town idiot?"

There was a silence, and Ike turned away in shame.

_Shame? What happened to him?_ Lucas thought. For some reason, he was sure that Ike was Mark, but if he was, then what had happened?

* * *

Nana ran out of the school gate, panting heavily. Beside her, Popo trudged along, weakly whooping in joy.

"Ding, dong, school is dead!"

The girl cheered, then groaned, for suddenly surrounding them was a horde of shadow creatures.

"When can we have a break from them?" asked Popo as he created an ice mallet.

"When we kill them all!" Nana yelled as she iced a couple of creatures.

And behind the fighting duo, a boy called Aaron was staring at the twins. He rubbed his head, got on his bike and rode away in the direction of his friend Lucas's house.

* * *

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaah! Wheelie!" The boy rode fast on his bike and, in front of a house, lifted his front wheels off the ground.

He jumped off his bike, grabbed a stone on the ground and threw it at the window. "Luke, Luke, Lucas! Are you listening in?"

In the bedroom where the rock had hit, our favorite blond opened the window and yelled. "Aaron, we have some problems here! Come in, the door's open!"

Aaron didn't listen. He got back on his bike and whirled it around. "Tail whiiip!" Aaron yelled.

"Not the time, you idiot! Come in!" Lucas was getting a little frustrated with his friend.

The 'idiot' sighed and went into the house, _while still riding the bike._

"Aaron, you idiot!" Normally, Aaron had much more sense than this. Lucas brushed past the confused Ike and ran down the stairs. "You idio-!"

Crash.

A few minutes, bruises and band–aids later, the even more injured Lucas had dragged the bike-happy Aaron up the stairs and into the bedroom. Needless to say, Lucas was swearing and muttering under his breath.

"So what's the problem, Lukey? What's the- oh, hi." Aaron had just noticed Ike. He waved weakly and sat down on the bed. "Luke, it's not nice to refer to your new friend as a problem."

"Um, Aaron? This is Mark." Aaron laughed.

"You have got to be kidding me. He doesn't look an iota like Mar- oh." The boy had also just noticed the looks on Lucas' and Ike's faces.

Lucas sighed and explained to Aaron about what had happened.

* * *

They had been fighting the creatures for five minutes before, as one, all the remaining ones flew away.

"Nan? Are you okay?" asked Popo.

"Yeah… I wonder why they went away… Never mind, we really should be getting to Leila's house for that… talent competition thingy."

* * *

"You're kidding."

Ike groaned. "Aaron, I honesty used to be Mark! Ask me anything only Mark would know!"

The boy Lucas and Ike were trying to convince crossed his arms stubbornly. "You could have asked Mark about the Beanie Baby."

"I wouldn't tell!"

"You're not Mark!"

"STOP IT!" Lucas yelled in frustration. He was pacing up and down the bedroom and was getting rather exhausted. "Aaron, just listen to us!"

Aaron pointed at Ike. "He's not Mark!"

"You're being a stubborn idiot!" Ike cried.

Lucas was getting more and more annoyed by Aaron. Why didn't he get it? Why?

Suddenly…

_That guy is clearly not Mark! Lucas must be drunk or something. I have no idea what that something is, but it sounds good. Still… Lucas is an idiot. Idiot!_ Aaron seemed to say, but his lips… weren't moving.

"Um, Aaron, remember… last year, when we found our… powers?" Lucas asked as he sat down.

"Not talking about _that_ with _him_ here," Aaron pointedly said. _Besides, he's a turd._

"I was there, you idiot!" This statement made Aaron suddenly shut up.

"Uh, Ike, Aaron just called you a… turd."

Ike frowned. "No, he didn't." _Why would he? I can understand him being annoying, but…_

"Actually, I only thought i- what? You can read thoughts now?" the boy asked sarcastically. _If he did, then that would be __**bad**__._

"Actually…" Lucas said, "I think I can. You just said me reading thoughts was bad."

"You can read my mind? What number am I thinking of?" Aaron said. _SIXTY NINE._

"Sixty nine. I don't get why that number is so- ew, Aaron! Don't even think that!" The blond shuddered, then he sat up straight. "I can read minds!"

_I don't think the original Lucas could do this…_ Ike thought. But since Lucas was too busy being barraged by Aaron's thoughts, it went unheard.

_You can read minds? This is so cool! We should set up a mindreading booth and you can read peoples minds for free, and we can get rich, and…_ Aaron mentally blathered on.

"Shut up, both of you! Stop thinking!" Lucas cried. "Stop thinking!"

And the bedroom was silent as Ike and Aaron tried to comprehend this strange request. Then…

_I like pie._

"Shut up, Aaron."

* * *

:) Review if you ca-an!


	9. sugar makes the world go round

Chapter Eight – _sugar makes the world go round  
_

To bag means to make fun of. It's an Aussie term that I didn't know about, but it's perfect for the situation. Insulting wouldn't have the same feel as bagging. Oh, and I can't think of a witty title for this chapter. Gah.

I do not own SSBB, but I WANT IT. I played it on my friend's Wii yesterday, and _it was so good._ My favorite charries to play as was Lucario and Ike. I. Need. Brawl.

* * *

Nothing much happened during the school day to Conrad and Ken apart from the fact that Lloyd wasn't there. All day, Ken puzzled over the note from last night. It seemed ominous. Like something bad was going to happen.

But there wasn't much time for worrying about the note. Schooltime passed rather quickly and before long, Ken, Conrad and Oliver were at the school gate. Oliver was disturbingly happy about something.

"Hey, hey, hey, Connie and Kenington! We're going to so rock at the talent comp, I know it! I know it!"

"Why?" asked Ken.

Oliver smiled. "Just because!" And as far as anyone knew, Oliver didn't even _have_ a spot in the talent competition. He couldn't sing or dance or even act.

And that was a good thing, because if he could…

Then, Oliver ran off. Ken noticed the chocolate bar wrapper in Oliver's pocket and shivered. He pitied the next person to come upon the sugar crazed Oliver.

Conrad must have been thinking the same thing, because he said, "We'll be lucky to find the poor victim alive."

* * *

"So, Lucas, can you prove that this person is Mark?" Aaron challenged.

"Lucas, why don't you read my mind and tell Aaron something about me that is Mark?" Ike suggested. He was getting rather annoyed and wanted to move onto more important things.

Lucas frowned. He closed his eyes and… "Um, **you** have a teddy bear called Fred?"

"Everyone and their mom knows that about Mark! Something else! Like, I don't know, the name of his distant cousin?"

Ike snapped.

He stood up, glared at the two and said, "Can we please stop focusing on who I am and go onto _other_ problems?"

"I don't believe you're Mark, I think this is total bull and I'm going home!" Aaron yelled. He ran out the door and the two teenagers sighed in relief.

"Good riddance. And what other problems are there?" Lucas asked.

"The fact that if I go to my house _looking_ like this, my mother won't even recognize me?" Ike said sarcastically. "That means that I won't have a place to sleep!"

"Oh. Well, you could always sleep here. You know my mum never checks this room, you could… stay here all day and play video games?" Lucas suggested weakly.

"Another thing that I'm noticing… is that I'm forgetting how to use modern technology," Ike said, strangely not worryingly.

There was even more silence.

"Oh."

* * *

Conrad and Ken had walked to the other school in the district for some fun, and unknown to them, this was the school Lucas, Mark, Alicia, Jordan and James attended.

"What kind of name is Sir Kirby's Academy?" asked Ken as he swung on the school gate.

"A stupid name," Conrad replied loftily.

Yes, they were bagging this rival school and having a lot of fun.

"I bet their grounds aren't as big as ours."

"I bet their teachers aren't as good as ours."

"I bet-" They were interrupted by a delicate cough. Conrad turned and found himself face to face with-

"Well, I can credit this school with one thing. They have hot chicks," Ken said. And yes, this girl was 'hot', at least in Ken terms.

"My name is not 'Hot Chick', it's Alicia." Conrad gasped. Alicia was a teenage singer that, even though she wasn't world renowned, was one of the best in this country.

Ken gave a wolfwhistle. "So you go to this dump of an education building?"

"It's my school, and you do know you aren't giving a good impression of _your_ school," Alicia shot back.

"_Our_ school will still trump yours!" Ken argued.

"I'm in the talent show. My partnership will win, and if it doesn't, our school will still take home the cash."

"Not if the winning group has kids from both schools," Conrad put in. "Then the money is shared."

"Not likely. There's only one group that has that so far. They're pretty good and funny, but we'll win. See you later, bores." And with that, Alicia stalked off.

"Bores? **Bores**?" Ken asked in disbelief. "We aren't boring."

"I think she meant 'boys'." Conrad stared after Alicia. She had a lovely voice, and was she humming 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' as she walked away?

Ken noticed Conrad staring. "**Some**one has a **crush**!" the boy mocked.

"Please shut up." Yes, she was. It sounded beautiful.

And from the roof of the building, a cloaked entity stood. _Meta Knight, you will never have her!_ it thought, then it teleported away. _Never!_

* * *

Oliver finally arrived at Lucas's house. "Yay!" he said as he hyperly pressed on the doorbell twenty seven times.

Scratch that, he kept on ringing, and ringing, _and ringing_.

"The damn door is open, Oliver!" yelled a voice from upstairs.

"But I like your doorbell! It's cool!" said Oliver.

Ding, dong. Ding, dong. Ding…

There were several thumps, then the door opened and Lucas stared at Oliver. "What are you doing here?" asked Lucas.

"Don't you remember… Little Bunny Foo Foo?" Oliver said in a small voice.

"Oliver? I thought I told you I wasn't going to do that!" the blond said annoyedly.

Then, Oliver sniffled. "But – but – but, Lloyd told me he wasn't going to do it… And we need someone to operate the Powerpoint… Will you?"

Lucas sighed for the twenty fifth time this day. "Fine."

"Yaaaaaaaaay!" Oliver shouted as he ran past Lucas – _and up the stairs._

After the incident with Aaron, Lucas _didn't_ want anyone to find out about Ike. So he ran after the hyper kid, yelling, "Oliver, don't go up there! OLIVER!"

But then, Oliver ran into the bedroom, saw Ike and – gave him a big hug.

"Yaaaaaaaay!" the hyper kid said. "We're going to rock at the comp!"

"Get off me, crazy kid!" Ike gasped.

"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" Oliver said in response and he hugged the unfortunate Ike even tighter.

"Get him off me!" Ike pleaded as Oliver continued hugging him. _I'm suffering here!_

Lucas was watching from the corridor. He was wondering if he could get away with not telling Oliver the whole truth.

"Never! My cousin isn't here so I must hug you for her!" Oliver announced. This stopped Lucas and Ike in their tracks.

"Why would your cousin know me?" asked Ike.

"You're Ike from Fire Emblem, right? _Path of Radiance_ or that Japanese-y title or something. My cousin has a crush on you, so I must hug you for her because you exist!" Oliver chirped.

"I'm from a game?" Ike asked slowly.

"My cousin lives in Japan and she gets all the games before we do, she's sooo lucky! And she understands Chinese!"

"Shouldn't that be Japanese?" said Lucas numbly. He was trying to process the fact that his friend may have metamorphosed into a video game character. It was very hard to grasp.

Oliver pulled away from Ike. "Chinese, Japanese, press the buttons and out comes these!" he said, pulling his eyes up, down and then stretching his hands outwards.

Ike was also trying to process this fact. He sat back down and stared at the wall.

"What's wrong? Did I do anything? I'msosorryi'msosorryi'msosorry!" Oliver said in a rush.

"Oliver, can you please go to the bathroom for a moment?" asked Lucas. Oliver happily ran off.

The blond turned to Ike and frowned. "I think we need to research, because I have never heard of Fire Emblem." He then went over to the computer, the stunned Ike following.

* * *

The sky outside was dark, but Ken wasn't scared. No matter how scared he was last night, today would be the day he'd find out who threatened him.

So he jumped out the open window, and flew.

He flew in the direction of the woods, and the stars were out.

God, how he loved flying.

* * *

If anyone could have seen Lucas at that moment, they'd have thought he was mad. With his eyes riveted to the computer screen, mouth wide open and sort-of drooling, he resembled a braindead zombie.

Behind him, Ike was staring at the screen intensely. Just yesterday, the computer was his life. Now, he had no clue how to use it. _But I still know how to use a sword,_ Ike thought ruefully.

"What's that?" asked Lucas as the other teen's thought crept into his mind.

"Nothing."

The blond returned to staring at the computer. "Wikipedia has only a teensy weensy bit on you!" he complained. "Teensy! Weensy!"

Ike said nothing.

"Still, it's a bit of shocker that my friend turned into a character from a video game."

Just before Ike could reply, the door opened. "Can I come back in now?" yelled Oliver from the corridor.

"Yes! Do you know anything about Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance?" Lucas yelled back.

Oliver came into the room and ran over to the computer, shoving Ike aside. "Go to Miniclip! Go to Miniclip!" he said hyperly.

The annoyed Ike glared at the other kid. "Do you _mind_?" he growled.

Oliver didn't notice, but Lucas definitely read the murderous thoughts. He whirled around. "Ike, please don't kill Oliver," he said tiredly.

The taller teen snorted. "I won't."

Lucas wasn't sure if Ike wouldn't kill Oliver, but the most important thing was finding information. He sighed and turned back to the computer.

* * *

"Whoooo!" yelled Ken as he swooped over the forest. He shouldn't have screamed, but flying was just too exhilarating! It was great!

Then there was a flash of gold, lit up by the moonlight… Ken dived down and landed in the clearing. There was no one there.

"Helloo?" Ken called out quietly. "Helloo?"

Then, there was the cling of a sword and something metal was at his throat.

"You don't read notes, do you?" asked the surprisingly childlike voice. "You really don't. 'Cause if you did, you wouldn't be here."

"Did you… send me that thing?" Ken asked nervously.

"I wrote it with Roy's help, Pichu 'sent' it. But I don't like you. You really shouldn't be here and if you had a brain, you'd stay far from the woods." The calm voice sent shivers down the winged boy's spine. "But I can't kill you, or the Doctor will kill me."

There was a rustle in the bushes and a teenager with red hair walked up to Ken. He was gripping another teen's arm and they were in shadow.

The boy looked like Lloyd.

"L-lloyd?" Ken asked. Lloyd said nothing.

Ken's aggressor stepped in front of Ken. He looked like a younger version of Lloyd and from the dim light of the moon, he seemed to be wearing green.

"Oh, is the name his 'parents' named him Lloyd? Nice name. Old. Quaint," the boy in front of Ken remarked. "My name is Young Link, but you can call me Tom."

"Shouldn't we just let them go?" asked the teenager in the shadows.

'Tom' hesitated. "I'm going to let Pit go in a second, but I recall that Mewtwo wants _Lloyd_ for an experiment. Yes, an experiment."

"Let him go!" Ken shouted. Young Link gave a dirty look at Ken and… threw him into the air with amazing power. Ken caught the wind in his wings and hovered for a second.

The kid whipped out an arrow and aimed it at Ken. "Because you haven't fully shifted yet, this arrow will cause major problems to you. Leave. NOW."

And because Ken didn't want major problems, he left quite quickly.

* * *

:P Long chapter is looong.


	10. Sort of Wild Goose Chase

Chapter Nine –_ wild goose chase_

I do not own SSBB. :D

* * *

After a quiet evening of looking for Fire Emblem information and playing on Miniclip, Oliver finally left. Lucas's parents had returned home and there were awkward moments abound, but it was okay.

"Mum, I'll only do my homework if you don't come into my bedroom! I mean it!"

Thus, Ike was not discovered. He had to sleep in a dusty sleeping bag, though, but that was okay.

Everything was okay, but it would not be okay for long.

* * *

The next day, it was raining. Nana rather thought that the sky was really depressed, with the amount of water being dumped upon everyone.

Maybe the thunder was the sound of the sky cutting itself and the wind was the moans of agony. Wow, she really felt poetic this morning.

"Earth to Nana! Earth to Nana! Popo calling!" her brother said loudly and _right in her ear._

They were standing under an old bus shelter, waiting for the school bus. Because the shelter was so old, the kids got rained on.

"I'm here, Po!" Nana laughed. "Here and soaking wet!"

It was nice to sit in the pouring rain, even though both teens preferred snow. Once in a while, a car would sploosh past, soaking the kids with dirty water. Nana hated it when it happened while Popo would shriek in excitement and flick water onto his sister.

Finally, the bus was spotted at the far end of the street.

"We won't be wet anymore!" Popo cheered, but Nana had spotted something across the street. She peered at it and gasped.

It looked very much like Lloyd, but smaller. Somehow, she recognized the figure darting away.

Ever since they had first faced off against the shadow things on Sunday, Lloyd had been… missing. Sure, today was only Tuesday but she had the feeling that the other boy wouldn't be at school.

The bus was approaching, more slowly now. Nana turned to Popo and said in a hushed whisper, "Tell the teachers that I'm sick and couldn't make it, okay? I think I see Lloyd!" Then, she ran across the street, leaving Popo blinking. Hopefully, because of the rain and the fog, she wouldn't be seen by the bus driver.

* * *

In the back seat of the bus, a slender girl was chatting excitedly to a pudgy boy.

"Kai, why don't you do the powerpoint? It'll be great fun, I promise, and Oliver's doing the talking!"

The aforementioned boy, Kai, sighed. "Yes, but just because I'm good with computers doesn't mean I can make a _pretty_ thing."

The girl was about to reply but was interrupted by a certain boy sitting next to her. "Hey Leila, hey Kai," Popo said gloomily.

"Hai. What happened to Nana?" asked Leila. Normally, Popo and Nana _never_ left each other's side. Kai wished he had a bond like that, but Leila was good enough as a nice friend.

Popo sighed. "Don't tell anyone, but she did a runner. Please don't tell anyone."

Leila gasped in shock. "Why?"

"I dunno. She just told me to tell everyone she was sick. Then, she ran off. Oh, and last night, Oliver rang me up to say we didn't have to worry about finding a person for the powerpoint. He'll tell us today, when we get to school."

"I don't have to be in the talent competition!" Kai whooped for joy.

"Why don't you want to be in it?" Popo and Leila asked in unison.

"Because I don't like to be judged."

* * *

Huffing and puffing, Nana ran. The Lloyd look alike was just in front of her, she could nearly reach out and grab him…

Then they were next to the shops and the look alike ran to two other people, a short man with a mustache and a tall teenager with red hair.

The look alike turned to Nana. "Stop following me! What are you, some kind of stalker?" he spat.

Nana hastily backed away. "Sorry! I thought you were someone else!"

"Yo- Timmy! Don't ever run off! Again!" the short man scolded.

Timmy glared at the man. "Don't call me Timmy, pops!"

"But that's your _name_."

While watching this slightly strange argument, Nana slowly walked away.

Unbeknownst to her, 'Timmy' had recognized her. "Pops, that's Nana of the Ice Climbers, right?" he asked.

"Yes, and she was looking for the _real_ Link," the red haired teen said mockingly.

Young Link scowled. "I am the real Link!"

"No you aren't. Shut up."

* * *

After making sure that Ike would not touch anything electronic or reveal himself to the parents, Lucas finally left for school.

Too bad school was full of people who _think._ A lot.

_Oh. My. God. She's. So. Cyuuuuuuuute!_ Who knew preppy girls sounded annoying even in their thoughts?

_I hope she likes the fact that I showered. I really want a date with her._

_Cindy's such a jerk! I can't believe it!_

_Our talent competition song is good, but I really think she can do better._

The unfortunate blond could hardly think, as everyone's thoughts were dumped into his brain.

_I wonder where Mark is? He's so cute!_ That thought made Lucas mentally puke. _But the guy in the bathroom was even cuter! I wonder where he got that smexy blue hair and…_ Wait, what? But the thought had drifted past and about a thousand more filled its place.

_Oh no, I got an E in Maths! I'm going to die!_ So am I, Lucas thought.

_Where's the bathroom? Where's the freaking bathroom? I need to go so badly!_

_Is there a pop quiz today? I'm doomed I'm doomed I'm DOOMED!_

_Cindy! I love you! I want to have your babies!_ Not touching this one with a ten foot pole.

_WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?!_

Add to that the chatter of the busy hallway, and you get a pretty noisy place. Lucas was just about ready to explode when… the school door opened. Even though he would be in deep trouble and grounded for a month if he skipped school, Lucas ran for freedom.

* * *

Kai, Leila and Popo were sitting at a computer, looking at a website. Or, more precisely, Kai's website.

They were waiting for Oliver to come and tell them _who_ was doing the PowerPoint, but Oliver seemed to be taking a long time.

"I'm bored," Leila complained.

"I'm more bored," Kai agreed.

"When is Ol going to show up?" Popo questioned. Right after that sentence, Oliver turned up.

"Hi! You know, I got us a new PowerPointer! His name's Lucas and he's from the other school!" All three teens instantly woke up.

"He's from the other school? Isn't that… not allowed?" asked Popo.

"Hey, hey, hey, whatever works! Of course it's allowed! Oh, and Lucas has a friend that comes from a videogame! His name's Ike and he's from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn," Oliver whispered.

There was silence. Then…

"Huh?"

* * *

Walking up the stairs, Lucas heard a violent sneeze. He went into the bedroom and saw Ike sitting on the bed, looking very bored.

"Was that you?" he asked.

"Yes."

Lucas sighed and flopped onto the bed. "Everyone was thinking so loudly! It was so noisy at school!"

"People can't help thinking," Ike pointed out.

"Duh, obviously, but they thought too much! I can't handle it!" The blond went over to the computer and switched it on. "Um, were you joking about the fact that you're forgetting how to use the computer?"

"No." _Do you need to ask?_

"Really?"

"If I go near one of those, it might explode." _Really, I am. It's not nice, forgetting... and remembering._

"Oh," Lucas said for the second time. "Oh."

* * *

"Um, what?" repeated Popo, his heart racing. He definitely knew the name Ike, but he just couldn't place it. And a _video game_ character?

"I don't think I was supposed to tell you. Sorry." With that, Oliver went away.

Leila frowned. "He was joking about knowing a video game character, wasn't he?"

Before Popo could speak, Kai cut in. "Of course he is! Video games aren't real. They're just… games."

"But I definitely know the name Ike," Popo said.

"It's not an unusual or a too common name. Let's just leave it." And so they did. But Popo kept on stirring over what Oliver had said and his strange memories. Oliver wasn't known to lie because most people agreed he was too naïve to. And the memory of the hand and the mountain had to be true, however impossible it was… right?

* * *

It was impossible to sneak into St. Kilda's School because, well, it just was. Nana had heard about some pretty hard punishments administered to people who tried to get into school late, and she did NOT want that to happen to her.

So, instead, she walked over to the other school in the district. Sir Kirby's Academy. Not to sneak in, of course, but to watch.

But on the way there, something happened that happened once in a blue moon. Nana heard Popo's thoughts.

_Ike? I know that name. And I remember… something about a sword? Aether? What kind of name is that? Or maybe…_

She stopped in midstep to listen to the fleeting thought. Sometimes this happened to them. It usually happened when they were far away from each other and the thought was instantly recognizable as the other twin's. The thought would usually be some little thing, to reassure either Nana or Popo that the other sibling was okay.

But this thought sounded important. Very important. Like…

In front of Nana, a blond haired kid was walking in the other direction. He stopped and turned, then he ran away.

And of course, the girl followed.

After a while, the kid had disappeared, and she had a strange sensation of someone _watching_ her.

Probably just her imagination, though.

* * *

Jordan was lying in bed, feeling pretty hopeless. The plague of blue feathers had crept up his arm and onto his legs, and now his freaking _hair_ was falling out! In addition, his lips seemed to be getting crusty!

He had pleaded sick to his parents. They didn't believe him until he actually puked in the bathroom.

Jordan had also phoned James, and apparently the other kid had suffered the same thing, but with _fur_. Luckily, neither Jordan's nor James's parents had found out about the sickness. God, it was too easy to hide it from them.

Way too easy.

* * *

:D


	11. The Parent Brigade

Chapter Ten – _the parent brigade begins_

My motivation to write this has been, um, slipping, but I will finish this! :D I do not own SSBB! Monkeys rule!

* * *

Our favorite blond switched on the TV in his room, a bored Ike looking on. He lay back on his bed and dozed off, until…

"Two school children have been reported missing. Lloyd Hall and Mark Zellers, both aged 14, have disappeared on Sunday and Monday respectively." The scene cut to the nearby police station, where two distraught women were being interviewed.

Ike instantly shot up and stared intently at the television.

"Police have found no leads so far. If you have any information on this, call…" the newscaster blathered on, but Lucas didn't pay any attention.

"So this is where the Parent Brigade comes in…" the teen mused tactlessly.

"I clearly can't go back like this," Ike stated flatly. _I'm a completely different person now._

Lucas shrugged. "But I think we need to reassure your mum that you're okay, or the Parent Brigade will invade _our_ home."

* * *

Kai, Leila and Popo walked along the corridor. It was now lunchtime and the janitor…

The janitor was dancing? In the middle of the corridor? To the _radio_?

"He's trying out for the talent comp!" The other two kids tried not to laugh at Leila's comment, but the janitor's dance was just too funny.

Then, the song ended and the janitor shuffled into the teacher's office. Leila ran up to the radio and mimicked the dance, and everyone sniggered violently.

"We should incorpor-" Leila was interrupted by the radio.

"If anyone has information on Lloyd Hall or Mark Zeller's disappearance, please ring…" Popo thought about what Nana had said that morning. She thought she saw Lloyd, right? He was missing?

"Guess popular kids skip school too, right?" Kai said slowly. "Wouldn't pity him."

Leila shrugged. "I sometimes feel like that, too! Anyway, let's go!"

But Popo… something was wrong. Wasn't Mark from the _other_ school? Won a maths competition last year? And Lloyd… was different. Wasn't he?

* * *

In a different part of the same school, Conrad and Ken were helping paint temporary sets for the talent competition. It wasn't necessary, but the two were only in it for the free cake. Oh, and who would pass up an opportunity to get messy with _paint_?

"I can almost taste it! Mmm, _caaake_!" Ken said. Secretly, though, the teenager was very shaken and worried. The threat from the little kid last night was a bit… spooky, to say the least.

"Lloyd's still not at school," Conrad commented as he whacked the canvas with his green paint.

The other boy brandished his paintbrush. "Probably sick or something. En garde!" He dabbed Conrad's nose with a bit of blue paint. "En gaaaaaarde!"

"Lay off the drugs, will you?" teased Conrad. He took a swipe at Ken, resulting in green being splashed across the other boy's jacket.

Then, Jacob Brownie, the idiot bully, came up to the two. "Connie and Kenny, sitting in a tree, K – I – S – S – I – N – G!" he mocked.

"Loser alert!" Ken said loudly. "Jacob, you're not impressing me or your goonies. Go away."

Conrad stayed silent. He was never the type to argue with bullies, but Ken was.

"First comes love, then comes marriage! Then comes a baby in the golden carriage!" Jacob gave a mean laugh.

Before Ken could say anything, the teacher broke in. "Stop fighting, boys!" she teacher said sternly.

Jacob protested. "We're not fighting. Honest!" The teacher shook her head and went away. Jacob followed, grumbling.

Conrad rolled his eyes and resumed painting. Then, there was a flash of _black_? The room was getting dimmer and he could almost hear the clash of steel.

Wait, he _could_ hear the clash of steel! He wasn't in the classroom anymore! He was somewhere, hot and dry, in the middle of a battle…

* * *

_Horrific monsters rampaged around the land. Their leader was coming and it would… the thought was too horrific._

_With his sword, the warrior slashed and hacked at the dozens of beasts invading the land. Something was calling his name, but that would have to wait._

_The battle took a long time. The monsters were unrelenting but at long last, the last of the beasts had retreated._

_The lone warrior ran over to his comrades and beheld a gruesome sight. While he had been protected by his flight and skill, the others were all… dead. Their bodies lay and the few other survivors were gravely injured._

_Then he saw the body of his greatest friend, lying prostate on the ground. It was bleeding heavily. The knight vowed that one day, whoever lead the monsters would pay for this._

_One day…_

* * *

"Earth to Conrad, Earth to Conrad, Houston speaking!" Ken announced. Conrad blinked, and he was no longer in the desert.

"What just happened?" the teen asked. He felt slightly different, like he could take on the world!

"I dunno. Hey, loser alert!" Now that the teacher's back was turned, Jacob was coming back. He sat down at their table.

"I'm not the loser, Connie is! _She's_ so scared, _she's_ an scaredy cat!" Jacob said meanly. "And she loves Alicia, too!"

The strange feeling in Conrad's body suddenly swelled. He went over to Jacob and-

"Woah!" Ken gasped. "Freaky!"

Jacob stumbled out of his chair, rubbing his cheek. "You– you punched me!" he squealed.

"Because you're an idiot," Conrad said, somewhat out of character. He felt phantom wings tickling his back, but this time, it didn't bother him. Nothing would!

Jacob squealed some more and ran away.

"That was cool!" Ken went over to Conrad and gave him a high five. "Wotcha!"

The teen smiled back, but inside, he was a bit confused. Did the freaky vision make him more… confident or something?

* * *

The feeling that she was being followed was getting stronger until Nana realized that she _was_ being followed. The person watching her kept on ducking into bushes and strangely… disappearing. So Nana had spent most of the afternoon taking a long detour to her house and trying to catch the stalker.

Until… "Nana! Hey, Nana!" Popo ran after her. They were on the sidewalk near their house.

"End of school?" Nana asked.

"Yes. Hey, it's been confirmed that Lloyd's missing. We listened to it on the janitor's radio." Popo glanced at Nana's face. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much, except someone's been _stalking_ me," Nana said loudly.

"What? Stalking?" Popo asked in horror and confusion.

"Let's walk around the neighbourhood, and maybe we can find the stalker," Nana whispered.

Popo shrugged. "Are you sure?" Frankly, it wouldn't be the first time his sister had been attacked by paranoia.

"Come on!"

* * *

A few hours after the freaky vision, Conrad was sitting on his bed and looking outside at the night sky. He felt much more confident. The phantom wings were still there, though. For some reason, he didn't mind them any more.

The sky seemed to be moving. It seemed to pulse, and then a hair raising whine came from outside.

Conrad stared, then the sky split into many strange creatures. Their form was indistinct, but they looked… hungry.

And they all rushed for him.

Conrad dived under his desk, but they were coming! He felt a tingly feeling in his back and all over his body, and then…

Something happened.

* * *

The twins had ran around the district, looking for the stalker, but they could not find him. They went home for a bit to placate the parents, but Nana dragged Popo outside afterwards.

"How do you know you have a stalker? Could it be just in your mind?" Popo complained.

"I just.. know!" Nana protested.

The boy sighed but was interrupted by Nana's gasp. "Those things from the supermarket!" She was pointing at a house. What must have been a gazillion shadow things were pouring into the window, and _none of them noticed the twins!_

Popo had noticed something else standing below the windowsill. "And what's that?" he asked.

"First things first!" Nana brought her hand out and formed an ice ball. She ran closer to the house and threw the ball into the mass of seething shadows. A hole was formed, and something flew out of the hole.

It was shaped like a ball, and it had bat wings. It was also flying very erratically, and the large yellow sword didn't seem to help.

"Fly, thingy, fly!" yelled Nana.

Popo noticed that the thing standing under the windowsill had created a giant ball of _something_, and was about to lob it at the flying thing. He created an ice ball and lobbed it at the thing.

The ball was about to hit when the creature suddenly disappeared. The flying thing flew into the distance, but now the mass of seething shadows had noticed the two. They gathered into a point and pointed it at the twins.

"Oops."

* * *

Please don't make me beg for reviews! :P


	12. If You go Down to the Woods

Chapter Eleven – _if you go down to the woods_

Yay, I have finally updated! Thanks to those of you who reviewed/favourited/StoryAlerted! If you hadn't, this story would have been abandoned and we all just _love_ abandoned stories, do we? :D

I do not own SSBB. The chances of me owning SSBB are low at the moment, but I WILL PRE- shot

* * *

Without knowing _how_ or _why_ he did it, Conrad flew out of the window. Unfortunately, Conrad didn't know how to fly.

_I'm gonna crash, I'm going to… CRAAASH_ he thought, panicking. However, his wings suddenly caught the air.

Wait, his _wings_? Now that he thought about it, his body felt rather… different. Then, the wings lost the wind and Conrad went spiraling down.

A conveniently placed tree branch then hit his head, and all was black.

* * *

In a house far away from Conrad, Nana and Popo, an eleven year old girl stirred. Her dreams had been full of lightning and thunder and now she was awake.

"Aarie?" she whispered into the darkness. "Aarie?"

No reply.

Carrie got herself out of bed and froze when an almost silent gasp filled the air. Treading quietly, the preteen walked to the bathroom to find her brother standing there.

"Aarie, what're you doing heeeere?" Carrie asked, turning the last part into a yawn.

Aaron was silent. He quickly pulled down his sleeve, but Carrie had gotten a glimpse of something black on her big brother's arm. "Aarie? What's that black stuff?"

"Nothing, sis. Go to bed," Aaron ordered.

"Aarie?" This was getting strange.

"Go to bed!" her big brother almost hissed.

With a sigh, Carrie walked back. She could almost swear that Aaron had Dad's shaver out and that the sink was full of blue stuff, but he obviously didn't want her to find out.

She wouldn't dare, anyway. After last year, Aaron had shut out any mentions of the 'powers' and had almost convinced his friends that they didn't exist. He would skin her alive if he knew she was secretly practicing them under her bedsheets.

* * *

_Kirby was such a fool. Naïve, yes, but foolhardy._

_No matter. He, the greatest knight in the land, could defeat Kirby._

_But then, Kirby defeated him. His mask split in two and he had withdrawn. His piece of the Star Rod had been taken, and…_

_And Kirby had made it better. Idiot Kirby had defeated Nightmare and all… was better?_

_And again and again, Kirby had bested him._

_How dare he? How dare this little puff challenge him?_

_Rayquaza, the wise dragon, had said it was because he was too arrogant. That he failed to see what Kirby really was, and that…_

_But why? Why must he fail?_

_Why?_

* * *

It was the next morning. The sky was bright and sunny, and Jordan…

When Jordan's parents came into their lazy son's room, they found a rumpled bedsheet, a broken window and a lot of blue feathers.

They would later call James's parents and discover that James has run away. They would later look everywhere for their child and discover that they are the third and forth pair of parents to have a missing child.

And they would cry when Jordan would never return.

* * *

Lucas woke up to find that the room was freezing cold, Ike was not there and the window was open.

"Damn!" the blond swore. It was so cold, he could hardly get up to change into school uniform.

And then, the teen found himself holding a finger and saying, "PK Fire!" It probably wouldn't work, but with the events of the last few days in mind, maybe it would?

Fire erupted into being on Lucas's fingertips. It was rather hot, too.

"Ow! PK Freeze, PK Freeze, PK Freeze!" Wait, how did he even know what to say? Never mind, it worked.

* * *

Carrie ran to school, far behind her brother on a bike Aaron. Lately, he had been in a bad mood. What was wrong?

"Woaaah!" Aaron skid to a stop and nearly crashed into the bus stop just outside the woods.

"Are you okay, Aarie?" Carrie yelled.

"I thought… never mind!" The teen got back on his bike and rode on.

"What the…?" Carrie was left hanging as Aaron rode away, weaving in and out of the telephone poles and looking like he'd fall off any minute.

Carrie sighed, then she had a brainwave.

School was boring and Aaron was acting weird. Why not go to the woods and find out why Aarie just stumbled? She was sure that Aaron's problem was connected to the stumbling, as her big brother was usually a pro bike rider.

And the problem must be in the woods.

* * *

_Meeting a real Smasher for the first time… who, strangely enough, wasn't Kirby._

_It was in the Melee time, before he was a real Smasher. He was flying his airship high above the Green Greens when…_

_When something had sparked his attention. Something bright had shone in the corner of the window and he had ordered his crew to land the ship. He had a feeling that the spark was important._

_They landed and he had flown out into a battlezone._

_There were two humans fighting. Normally, humans did not come to this part of the land._

_One was a dignified blue haired swordsman while the other was a little boy with a cap._

_He had flown out and he saw the man elegantly swing his sword at the boy. The boy retaliated by jumping an impossible distance and kicking the man on the head._

_Then, the boy shouted something and there was a flash of light. The man was stunned for a bit, before he swung his sword at the boy._

_He had yelled at them to stop, but they continued fighting and fighting. There was something in their eyes, an unnatural eagerness._

_No, it was like they were cursed._

_And at long last, the boy triumphed over the man and both of them slumped to the ground, breathing heavily._

_Despite being tired, the boy dragged himself away._

_He flew over to the boy. "Are you okay? Do you need medicine?"_

"_We'll recover, we'll recover," the boy said sardonically._

"_Who are you and why did you fight?" the knight questioned._

"_I'm Ness and he's Marth."_

"_Why do you fight?"_

_Ness shrugged. "I don't know. I need to go or I'll fight Marth again and…" Wearily bringing his hand up, he uttered, "PK Thunder!" and somehow blew himself away._

_Then, the knight flew over to the swordsman, Marth. "Who are you and why do you fight?" he repeated._

"_I am Marth, Prince of Altea," Marth said wearily._

"_Altea is far to the north of Dreamland, so far away. Why are you here?"_

"_I… don't know."_

"_But you must know, Prince Marth," he pressed. "Fighting usually has a purpose."_

"_Not this fight. Don't you know the Curse of the Smasher?" Marth shot back. _

"_No," the knight admitted._

_Marth laughed dryly. "We Smashers are cursed to fight each other. When we encounter each other, we lose our sense and we… fight in a blind rage."_

"_I was under the impression that being a Smasher was a good thing."_

"_We gain incredible power and agility, but it is not worth it for… the pain of fighting." Then, Marth disappeared in a strange flash of gold and silver._

_The knight stared at the spot that the prince had been in. It was only then he looked up and saw all the devastation that had happened simply from that one fight._

_And he vowed he would be a Smasher one day, for the power._

_For the power…_

* * *

The forest was unusually quiet today. Almost as if it knew that something was up.

Carrie was quietly running past bushes and more bushes, following a blond boy. She managed not to be noticed, but the boy never really turned his head.

She thought she recognized the boy, though, but she knew plenty of boys with blond hair. One thing was sure: this boy had something to do with the problem.

Why? Well, the boy was skipping school, for one. Secondly, Aaron must have caught a glimpse of this boy and stumbled because the boy was part of the problem!

Carrie was proud of herself for deducing this. Maybe she'd become a detective one day! Maybe even a...

* * *

Lucas walked past trees and bushes. Once in a while, a rustle in the bushes would draw his attention, but for now he was looking for a certain person.

He was sure Ike would be here, but he couldn't say why. And after an hour or so…

"Are you looking for me?" a voice asked from behind the blond.

"Ahh!" Lucas screamed, before whirling around and seeing Ike there.

"You'll scare all the birds away," Ike commented sardonically.

Lucas quickly recovered. "Why on Earth did you run away?"

"You're not my boss," the other teen said.

Lucas was struck for words. "Um…"

"I'm not supposed to be there, you know. It's only a matter of time before your parents discover and I'm more used to the woods."

"Um… But… Uh…" Ike seemed a bit more confident and… stronger? More leader–y? Whatever it was, the other teen was oozing it.

The large golden sword Ike was hefting arounf like a light stick didn't help make things easier. Lucas gulped quietly and was just about to answer when the bushes behind him rustled really loudly.

* * *

It was now a few minutes later, and the boy was arguing with an older teen. Carrie had hid behind a large prickly bush and was now watching the boys with interest.

The boy sounded like Lucas, Aaron's friend… But Lucas would _never ever ever_ _EVER_ skip school! It was very un–Lucas–like!

The other teen was very intimidating as well. He was holding what had to be a fake sword, because no one, even with those muscles, could swing that around like… an umbrella!

Carrie leaned in further to listen when she rustled the bush accidentally. The older boy stared at the bush and in one sweeping motion, slid there and cut the bush open, _exposing Carrie._

The boys (yes, that WAS Lucas!) stared at Carrie. Carrie stared at the boys. Then, she legged it out of there, the boys giving chase.

* * *

:D


	13. Mind Screwage

Chapter Twelve –_ mind screwage  
_

Gah, ideas come and go and a few of the last few chapters are absolutely… But I will finish this! I do not own SSBB.

Warning: a certain flashback may not be your idea of this character's history. Don't kill me! :D

* * *

"I hate my life," Popo announced dully as he limped.

"Oh, could it be because of the sheer amount of weird shadow thingies?" Nana retorted sarcastically, holding a tissue to her bleeding arm and wincing in pain.

"Duh." They were too tired to say or do anything but limp home. The last night (and the morning) had been one big fight after another. Who knew that evil shadow thingies that were useless apart could be deadly when they were one giant pointy thing?

Wait, that sounded stupid. Never mind, Popo was too tired to bother with intelligent thoughts.

* * *

_Kirby… The curse… Death…_

_Before he had been himself, he was a monster. He had been a demon, a nightmare… Until he had learned of honour and life and…_

_Whole towns devastated by his hand. Crops eaten, no, people killed. And then…_

_And then he had learned about honour and he held a mask to distance himself from the monster he was._

* * *

Carrie ran through the bush, stumbling. If she had stopped to think, she'd have realized that the two teens chasing after her weren't that dangerous (okay, there was that sword, but…). Alas, she wasn't in a thinking mood.

_Rush away, rush away, blood of thunder and quick quick quick. Faster than fast, slower than sonic but still fast enough._

She jumped over a bush and found herself in a clearing covered with blue feathers and golden fur.

And blood.

_Fighting to the death – or to the cold. Blood everywhere, electricity crackling, fighting forever and ever and ever…_

She gasped for breath and turned around. The kid in the strange clothes was coming closer with an annoyed look on his face.

_Electricity crackling, cumulating in sockets that would burn, burn, __**BURN**__ whatever it touched._

Wait, what? But there was a special kind of heat that was building up in her fingers and cheeks _and it would kill and hurt and crackle and __**BURN**_…

Lucas burst out of the bush and stopped as something yellow danced around Carrie. He winced and fell back, as the force of the girl's thoughts was inhuman and strong and _this was what it felt like to have power and electricity and __**BURN BURN BURN**_.

The electricity was unleashed and the two teens fell to the ground in agony. Carrie, unthinking and almost taken by the power, ran away on all fours.

And a few metres away, a certain Pokemon stared, stricken. If he could do this to her _just by being near_, make her powers overwhelm her, what would happen to his Songbird?

Perhaps it was because in the other world, he would be one of her patron Legends. That would mean that his Songbird wouldn't be that affected.

At least Ike was out and couldn't get to her and "protect" her. Meta Knight was also out for the moment and had been temporarily taken care of, but who knew how long that guy would be out of it? Ah well, if the two lovesick Smashers couldn't get to her, it would be good.

_My Songbird… my Songbird…_

* * *

_Mewtwo, stop this!_

_A flash of the first fight- against Kirby. Mindless slash, mindless hack. Death._

_Then, the night with Jigglypuff and Kirby. He felt responsible for them, responsible, but he had fought them just the same._

_And then, the bloodied body of Kirby, still alive but in pain, oh, so much pain…_

_Why? Mewtwo, stop this! Stop torturing me!_

* * *

Alicia shot up as her phone rang. She fumbled with her lock before opening it and grabbing the phone.

"Ali, another lovesick boy?" her friend, Claudia teased.

"Nah, just… a message from Jordie!" She looked closely at the screen and frowned. "Wait a sec… Oh, damn it!"

"What?" Claudia asked.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Jordan can't make it tomorrow, so he suggests I do that… other song."

"I didn't really like that song you did with Jordan, so this is for the best?"

The girl sighed. "Well, I have to go to my singing class now. Bye Cloud." She rushed off just as the teacher walked in.

* * *

What must have been a timeless era later, Carrie woke up. She found herself deep in the woods, covered in dirt and twigs and with no memory of what had happened.

Oh yeah, she had been running away from two kids and… _electricity?_ What was going on?

"Where– pik – am I – ka? Um, wha – pi – t?" she couldn't speak properly. Summoning mental strength, she managed to get out a, "Where the hell am I?" before gasping.

So, what had happened?

* * *

They had walked into the house when the parents had swooped down on them like vultures.

"Paul and Hermione Cousins, where have you been? We were beginning to worry that you've gone missing like all those children!" their mother scolded. "And you're all bruised and injured!" She hustled the kids upstairs, where ice and ban-aids had soothed them both.

But nothing could stop the parents grounding the twins.

"Mom! We're going to be okay!" Popo protested.

"You're grounded until you tell us what you've been doing!"

But they couldn't, could they? They had to lie, even though if they were caught…

"We were walking through the woods when we tripped and fell!" Nana said. Yeah, that was good enough…

"Both of you?" their father asked incredulously.

Popo rolled his eyes. "Dad, yes!" This was going to take a lot of careful talking.

* * *

The girl stood up, shaking. Her classmates were looking at her and _staring_.

"Alicia, have you practiced that piece?" the singing instructor asked sternly.

"Yes, Mrs. Kernel." Readying herself, Alicia closed her eyes, opened her mouth and sang.

It wasn't a very special piece, but a sort of long one. For four minutes, she sang a song. And then…

When she finished, she kept her eyes closed, but she couldn't hear any- was the sound of _snoring_?

Alicia opened her eyes to see Mrs. Kernel and the rest of the class asleep on the floor. She stared for a while before her mind kicked into overdrive mode.

_Oh my god what have I done did my singing kill them or what oh my god oh my god OH MY GOD._ She stood there numbly, and then she jumped over the sleeping teacher and ran out of the classroom.

* * *

:D Oh, and would anyone like to recommend a song that a character(s) can sing in the talent competition? Anyone want kudos? :D


End file.
